_Corners._--"To make good walls, it is not sufficient that the earth be
well beaten, we must also learn to unite them well together. Here the
binders cost very little; they consist only of thin pieces of wood,
a few cramps and nails, and these are sufficient to give the greatest
stability to buildings of pise."
Having gone on to explain that the angles of the building are formed by
the successive courses alternately crossing one another on the corner
like the alternating "long and short" quoins in a stone building, our
authority proceeds to describe how rough boards are laid between the
courses of pise so as to cross at the corner and so, entirely encased in
tightly compressed earth, they form effective ties.
"This board must be rough, as the sawyers have left it, 5 or 6 ft. long,
something less than 1 in. thick, and in breadth about 8, 9 or 10 in., so
that there may remain on each side 4 or 5 in. of earth, if the wall is
18 in. thick; by this means the board will be entirely concealed in the
body of the wall. When thus placed neither the air nor damp can reach
it, and of course there is no danger of its rotting. This has been often
proved by experience, as in taking down old houses of pise such boards
have always been found perfectly sound, and many that had not even lost
the colour of new wood. It is easy to conceive how much this board, from
the pressure of the work raised above it, will help to bind together the
two lengths of wall and to strengthen the angle."
_Bonders._--"It is useful (particularly when the earth is not of a very
good quality) to put ends of planks into the pise after it has been
rammed about half the height of the mould. These ends of planks should
only be 10 or 11 in. long, to leave as before a few inches of earth on
each side of the wall, if it is 18 in. thick; they should be laid
crosswise (as the plank before mentioned is laid lengthwise) over the
whole course, at the distance of about 2 ft. from one another, and will
serve to equalise the pressure of the upper parts of the works on the
lower course of the pise.
"The boards above mentioned need only be placed at the angles of the
exterior wall, and in those parts where the courses of the partition
walls join to those of the exterior wall, the same directions that have
here been given for the second course must be observed at each
succeeding course, up to the roof. By these means the reader will
perceive that an innumerable quantity of holders or bondings will be
formed, which sometimes draw to the right, sometimes to the left of the
angles, and which powerfully unite the front walls with those of the
partitions; the several parts deriving mutual support from one another,
and the whole being rendered compact and solid."
[Headnote: The Strength of Pise]
_Strength._--"Hence these houses, made of earth alone, are able to
resist the violence of the highest winds, storms and tempests. The
height that is intended to be given to each story being known, boards of
3 or 4 ft. in length should be placed beforehand in the pise, in those
places where the beams are to be fixed, and as soon as the mould no
longer occupies that place, the beams may be laid on, though the pise be
fresh made; little slips of wood, or boards, may be introduced under
them, in order to fix them level. The beams thus fixed for each story,
the pise may be continued as high as the place on which you intend to
erect the roof."
ON THE TIME AND LABOUR NECESSARY IN BUILDING
A CERTAIN QUANTITY OF PISE
_Speed of Building._--"Besides the advantages of strength and cheapness,
this method of building possesses that of speed in the execution. That
the reader may know the time that is required for building a house, or
an enclosure, he need only be told that a mason used to the work can,
with the help of his labourer, when the earth lies near, build in one
day 6 ft. square of the pise."
_Rendering._--"To prepare the walls for plastering, indent them with the
point of the hammer, or hatchet, without being afraid of spoiling the
surface left by the mould; all those little dents must be made as close
as possible to each other, and cut in from top to bottom, so that every
hole may have a little rest in the inferior part, which will serve to
retain and support the plaster.
"If you happen to lay the plaster over them before the dampness is
entirely gone, you must expect that the sweat of the walls will cast off
the plaster."
The wall surface having been duly hammer-chipped, the work must be
scoured with a stiff brush to remove all loose earth and dust, and to
finally prepare it for rough-casting. Rough-cast consists of a small
quantity of mortar, diluted with water in a tub, to which a trowel of
pure lime is added, so as to make it about the thickness of cream.
One workman and his labourers are sufficient; the workman on the
scaffold sprinkles with a brush the wall he has indented, swept, and
prepared; after that he dips another brush, made of bits of reed, box,
etc., into the tub which contains the rough-cast, and throws with this
brush the rough-cast against the wall.
"Rough-cast, which is attended with so little trouble and expense, is
notwithstanding the best cover that can be made for pise walls, and for
all other constructions; it contributes to preserve the buildings. It is
the peculiar advantage of these buildings that all the materials they
require are cheap, and all the workmanship simple and easy."
_Local Testimony._--At the end of the article just summarised, an
instructive letter from a former rector of St. John's, La Rochelle, is
quoted:
"SIR,--
"My having been an inhabitant for some time of the town of Montbrison,
capital of the Forets, enables me to give you some information
concerning the mode of building houses with earth, etc.
[Headnote: A Pise Church]
_A Pise Church._--"The church was the most remarkable in this style of
building; it is about 80 ft. long, 40 ft. broad, and 50 ft. high; the
walls built in pise, 18 in. thick, and crepe, or rough-cast on the
outside, with lime and sand. Soon after my arrival, the church, by some
accident, was destroyed by fire, and remained unroofed for about a
twelvemonth, exposed to rains and frost. As it was suspected that the
walls had sustained much damage, either by fire or the inclemency of the
season, and might fall down, it was determined to throw them down
partially, and leave only the lower parts standing; but even this was
not done without much difficulty, such was the firmness and hardness
these walls had acquired, the church having stood above eighty years;
and all the repairs required were only to give it on the outside, every
twelve or fifteen years, a new coating of rough-cast.
"A house for a single family is generally finished in about a fortnight.
The following is the method I have seen them practise."
_Building Procedure._--"The earth is pounded as much as possible, in
order to crumble any stones therein; clay is added thereto in a small
quantity, about one-eighth part. It is all beaten and mixed up together
by repeated blows with a mallet about 10 in. broad, and 10 or 15 in.
long, and 2 in. thick. The earth being thus prepared, and slightly
wetted, the foundation of the house is dug for; this is laid with stone,
and when it is about 1 ft. high above the surface of the ground, planks
are arranged on each side, which are filled with earth intended for the
wall; this is called Pise in the dialect of the country. It is strongly
beaten; and this method is continued successively all round the
building. The walls have more or less thickness according to the fancy
of the owner; I have seen them 6 in. and 18 in. thick. If several
stories are intended in such erections, they do not fail to place beams
to support the floors before they build higher. Of such buildings I
never saw any consisting of more than three floors at most; generally
they have but two. When the building is thus finished, it is left for
some months to dry; then such as wish to make the building more solid
and durable, give it a rough-cast coating on the outside with lime and
sand. This is what I have observed during a residence of three years in
the town of Montbrison. I should be happy if this detail should afford
the slightest information to the generous nation which has received us
with so much goodness.
"I am, etc.,
"JAUCOUR."
_The Virtues of Pise._--"Such is the method of building which has been
practised in the Lyonnese for many centuries. Houses so built are
strong, healthy, and very cheap, they will last a great length of time,
for the French author says he had pulled down some of them which, from
the title-deeds in the possession of the proprietors, appeared to be 165
years old, though they had been ill kept in repair. The rich traders of
Lyons have no other way of building their country-houses. An outside
covering of painting in fresco, which is attended with very little
expense, conceals from the eye of the spectator the nature of the
building, and is a handsome ornament to the house. That method of
painting has more freshness and brilliancy than any other, because water
does not impair the colours. No size, oil, or expense is required,
manual labour is almost all it costs, either to the rich or poor. Any
person may make his house look as splendid as he pleases, for a few
pence laid out in red or yellow ochre, or in other mineral colours.
"Strangers who have sailed upon the Rhone probably never suspected that
those beautiful houses, which they saw rising on the hills around them,
were built of nothing but earth, nay, many persons have dwelt for a
considerable time in such houses without ever being aware of their
singular construction. Farmers in that country generally have them
simply white-washed, but others, who have a greater taste for ornament,
add pilasters, window-cases, panels, and decorations of various kinds.
"There is every reason for introducing this method of building into all
parts of the kingdom; whether we consider the honour of the nation as
concerned in the neatness of its villages, the great saving of wood
which it will occasion, and the consequent security from fire, or the
health of the inhabitants, to which it will greatly contribute, as such
houses are never liable to the extremes of heat or cold. It is attended
with many other circumstances that are advantageous to the State as well
as to individuals. It saves both time and labour in building, and the
houses may be inhabited almost immediately after they are finished; for
which latter purpose, the holes made for the joists should not be closed
up directly, as the air, if suffered to circulate through them, will dry
the walls more speedily."
[Headnote: Indian and Colonial Practice]